There’s little argument that the Barrow County School System botched its handling of a proposal to cut its bus service to some 550 middle and high school students living close to their schools. There was no clear communication from the school to the affected families and no communications to local law enforcement officials about the changes. It was confusing.

With school set to start this week, the board of education last week reversed course on that plan and will provide bus transportation as it had in the past. Now, however, the system will have to come up with $350,000 to pay for that, money the BCSS doesn’t have.

The larger issue in all of this, however, is not that just the school system screwed up, but rather than we as a society expect it to cater to our every whim. If you want to see where America is headed, just look at the structure of public education in the country and the expectations we as a society have come to demand from it. There is no larger system of paternalism in America than its public education institutions.

We now have public Pre-K programs that are supposed to “prepare” youngsters for kindergarten, but in reality are little more than free childcare. Public schools are expected to pick children up in the mornings in a bus, take them to school, provide them with a free or cheap breakfast, check their physical, psychological and social needs and provide services for those, educate all children to be scholars, provide them with a happy and healthy lunch, give them special tutoring, babysit them in the after school hours or provide a long list of after school activities, and then give them a ride home in the afternoons.

And we want all of that with lower taxes.

The truth is, many parents look at schools as little more than tax-funded childcare. When schools close due to snow, many parents whine, “What am I going to do with my children?” When the Barrow County School System changed its school start times this year, some parents whined, “But I have to leave for work early, who will take care of my children?”

So it should have been no surprise to BCSS officials that any plan to reduce bus service would be met with the same kind of whining response. A lot of parents expect their child’s school to cater to their schedules, not the other way around.

But the fundamental question here is: Why should schools provide transportation at all? The use of school buses came into widespread use in rural areas during the Depression when cars were few. That isn’t the case today.

The BCSS spends over $5 million a year out of a $90 million budget to transport students. The 550 students who would have been affected by the system’s proposed bussing cuts are now going to cost taxpayers over $600 each this year so the parents of those kids don’t have to do it themselves.

So why not charge parents who demand bussing service a fee to cover the costs? Is it really the responsibility of taxpayers to provide transportation for families who don’t want to provide their own?

But if parents have become spoiled by this kind of thing, public schools have nobody to blame but themselves. For decades, public education leaders have oversold what they could do. They have portrayed public education as the solution to all of society’s problems and flaws. Any issue you want to discuss — race relations, child hunger, psychological problems, teen sex — school leaders have promised to deliver a solution.

Add to that, the mentality of many urban school officials has been that children are better off being “raised” by the school than by their own families. That’s probably true in some places, but the paternalistic attitude behind that view has infected public education into thinking it is superior to families in general. It isn’t.

Public school leaders are also to blame for the problems in the recent bus debate because most school systems have detached the building of new schools from being community-based institutions. Instead, school systems go out and buy rural farmland and locate schools away from established communities. But those rural areas have no sidewalks or other infrastructure to accommodate those new schools.

If school leaders want kids to be able to walk or bike to school, then they should build schools in established communities rather than in John’s cow pasture. That’s true in Barrow County, too.

It is this kind of top-down, paternalistic decision-making that has hurt the image of many public schools. A recent Journal online survey showed that some 56 percent of those responding had a “somewhat” or “very” negative view of the BCSS. Only 26 percent had a positive view of the system. That is very troubling, but not too surprising.

But if schools have invited problems, parents have welcomed the paternalism. If a parent chooses to live so far away from work that he can’t transport his child to or from school, then that problem should be on the parent to resolve, not the school system. In this era where cars are ubiquitous, there is no reason more parents shouldn’t take their children to school or form carpools. (Charge $1,000 a year for school bus service and see how quickly parents adapt.)

But it is the one-dimensional attitude of some parents that really chafes. Parents complained very loudly about the BCSS’ bussing changes not because it affected the quality of education of their child’s school, but because it would have been inconvenient for them to arrange an alternative. Yet not a single parent — not one — spoke at the school board meeting to demand the BCSS fix its ongoing problem of embarrassingly weak math instruction in the local high schools.

What does that say about parental priorities? Are we really interested in a quality education, or do we just want public schools to be a cradle-to-age-18 bussing and babysitting service?

Although the BCSS didn’t handle the bus issue well, the underlying problem really isn’t the system’s fault. More state funding cuts in addition to the collapse of the local tax digest has devastated the system’s revenues.
In proposing to cut nearby bus service, BCSS leaders were trying to cut expenses without making further cuts to school instruction, which has already been cut down this year to 160 days. In this funding crisis, leaders tried to pick cuts they thought wouldn’t impact instruction and for that, they cannot be faulted. It is very common in many school districts for parents who live within a mile or two of the school to provide their own transportation. What the BCSS proposed was not unheard of.

The reality is that school systems are changing what they do in response to the economic crisis, just like businesses have had to change. No institution is exempt from the economic downturn. We cannot expect the BCSS to spend money it doesn’t have and we cannot demand schools provide services for free when there is less money available.

Now the question is, what will the BCSS have to cut in order to make up that $350,000 being spent on bussing?

Mike Buffington is co-publisher of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.

I recently had my child transferred to Bramlett from Auburn; I don't mind waiting at front of subdivision with my child to catch a bus but the way the zone is done a bus won't transport my child to Bramlett; even though from my drive to the school's drive is only a mile....now when we went to Auburn it was about 4 miles to the school. I think the county should take a look at the zones; good friend of mine lives all the way near chateau elan and gets bus transportation but I live one mile and can't get service ???

As soon as this Barrow Mom found out about ALL the Changes that were taking place within our school system - I went looking for an alternative. Which I found, thanks to a Barrow County School Employee. My husband and I took charge of the education of our children. I don't want Pee'vd off drivers, teachers, para-pros, and others teaching my children.

From my interpretation of sub-section (d), students do not have to be provided transportation within 1.5 miles of the school. It states nothing about the age of 16 (or under) having any relevance to whether a student receives transportation.

"The law says those 16 and under must attend school. The law says the system must provide a way to get them there. There's really nothing more to talk about."

If you are, then you creating an argument that has nothing to do with the subject of the article. The article dealt with the re-establishing transportation within the 1.5 mile radius of the school. You are correct, children are required to be at school between the ages of 6 and 16 (By the way, don't try to be a grandstander about compulsory laws, I probably know more about them than you). But, the school district is not required to transport those students within a 1.5 mile radius of the school. This is evident in the law that you yourself (I assume) posted.

In reality your message I quoted is true, except for students that are within 1.5 miles of the school. That is what the school was going to do, and that was the subject of the article. You created an argument that has no significance to the topic and that is why I commented to make you aware of it.

Actually, I am the one who originally posted the code number and then replied with a few more details and another reference to the compulsory attendance code. No, I did not write that which you quoted. However, as the poster above mentioned, Mike asked something like "Why should we provide transportation at all?" And when Blue Falcon asked for the code, I posted it.

And "grandstander?" Really? You sound bitter. I actually do know a great deal about school law. Maybe more than you, maybe not. Either way, I'm okay with that.

And I actually believe that parents SHOULD be responsible for getting their children, who live within 1.5 miles, to school. We probably agree on a great deal, but since you'd rather argue semantics, that would likely be overlooked. I was simply pointing one in the direction of the law that was mentioned. Nothing more, nothing less...

"Nothing more to talk about" eh? Even if what you say is true; if there isn't enough money to pay for the "extras" I'm quite certain the school board would appreciate any logical suggestions you can come up with to help them in this dilemma! There's no law that can force anybody to meet any expectations they can't fulfill. As the saying goes "Ya' can't squeeze blood out of turnip'!

Wow...you said everything that I have been saying. Parents today are more whiney and selfish then any other generation. They want to be catered to on every aspect of their life. The same parents that complain about their children walking to a bus stop, are the same ones that allow their children to walk, play and ride their bikes in the middle of the road. And God forbid you say anything to these children, because then you get yelled at and get the finger. What some parents don't realize is that, it is a privildge to ride the bus, not a right. Especially if you live within a certain distance of a school. Parents today are using the school as a babysitter. They expect the schools to teach their children about sex, they expect the schools to modify their children's behavior, they expect the schools to raise their children and if the school doesn't do it right...then the parents whine, complain and sue. Thank you for saying exactly how I have felt for a while.

If that law exists then it is outdated. I drop off and pick up my children everyday. I agree totally with this article! If our county cannot afford bus services anymore then we should charge for using them. You can either employ one of the many out of work people in town to babysit and transport your child to school or you can adjust your schedule or you can pay for them to be bussed. The academics are greatly lacking in Barrow right now and all anyone cares about is bus service. Your kid and mine are getting a crappy education because you demand free bus service. That money could be better spent on quality math teachers and or more teachers in general to bring down class sizes, and add back the 20 days of education they took from our children. I do think our superintendent and those below her make entirely to much money but I highly doubt they will take a paycut to help our kids. We elected these representatives that are making decisions for us and if we are not happy about it we need to send the message at the polls that we won't put up with it anymore. Vote, attend meetings, stand up for your child. I'm sick of paying taxes to bus and feed and medically take care of others children. Please don't reply that you have a job and bills because I don't care! So do I and so does everyone else! They are your kids!

I agree with you completely. If the BOE cannot find another way to cut back, something is terribly wrong. charge to ride the bus, no matter where the students live. this is already done with school lunches. you cant afford it, you get a reduced or free lunch. Do the same with the bus rides. Get rid of parapros. why hire college educated people, then hire parapros to do their job? Maybe that accounts for the poor education the kids are getting. Close the schools during summer. cut the electricity, cut the everyday cleaning people (why are they there anyway?). Turn off the air and lights. Cut off the internet during the summer. Why are teachers allowed to send jokes via school email? How do they find the time ? Send the secretaries home. If nobody is there they arent needed. Im sure others can add to the list. I'll tell you what the problem is. Its run as a business now, not for the right purpose which should be to educate ! Period.

There are lots of ways to make cuts. I would start with Dr. Creel and all of her assitants...Then I would take away Darby's smart phone that he does not know how to use and spends all of his time on instead of paying attention at meetings...

Amen,Darby is probably on the phone asking creel for permission to breath. I know there are those who will bury their heads in the sand while the culture of fear and intimidation the superintendent has brought continues to permeate the school district. Hopefully there are also those who will stand vigilant.

You are so right about the culture of fear & intimidation that Creel has created. It seems no one on the BOE has the courage to stand up to her and suffer her wrath (her tantrums are legendary). She rules her "empire" with an iron fist and will not tolerate opposing views. She micro-manages to the point that under her "leadership" no one can make a decision on their own. Why are we paying people in the District office who have been made so impotent by Creel they can't take a breath without her giving permission?
Creel is not a LEADER, she is a DICTATOR, with little genuine concern for the employees, students or parents of Barrow County. Our BOE gets to get a backbone and stop cowering before Creel.

The most demanding job in a school district is a high school principalship. Due to numerous meetings, its essential to stay connected to the school thru your phone when you're not in the building. How do you know he's not paying attention? Sounds to me like he's multi tasking or even taking notes of the meeting, after all, it is a smart phone!

hypothetically the county could charge every bus rider $10.00 a month and by the end of the year the school system would have their $350,000 deficit covered plus some.

I agree that school system does take a parental view on topics as well, but that is because a lot of parents don't care about anything their kids learn and the school system is trying to cover for their stupidity or lack of parental control. But when you have kids raising kids what do you expect.

Usually Mike and I clash about Education, but in this instance, I mostly agree with him. Mike, you are starting to see the problem with the "performance" aspect of public schools. When you have an environment at home that does not encourage learning because as you alluded to, learning is not the goal, babysitting is, than you have kids who are not encouraged to learn. They carry the same attitudes as their parents. And it carries with them all the way to high school, hence a lot of the poor math scores. Just my theory, anyway.

I honestly don't understand what the griping about having kids within a couple miles of the school walk is about anyway. I encourage anyone to go out on Haymon Morris road and the surrounding roads in the afternoon and morning and look at what they see. They see a bunch of people lined up to get their kids. You can't tell me those people standing around are working and thus, can't start some sort of carpooling. Give me a break.

By the way, I think that argument that it is the legal responsibility to bus kids to school is a croc of !@#$. I have never seen a school taken to court for that reason. But hey, I could be wrong, maybe there is some outdated law about that. I wouldn't put it past the state of Georgia, or the continually over-extending federal government.

Of course he didn't look at anything. It's just more of his right wing, I hate public schools, public school teachers, public school bus system, etc., et. al. More of the same. Never one thought on how some people do not have money falling out of the sky into their pocket. Families where both parents work every day (often seven days a week) to make ends meet.

Yup...go ahead and re-elect Obama and Gaff Biden. Gas will continue to go up and your bus service ill continue to cost more...therefore less money for educating your kids. Electing the socialist or communist...your pick, will continue to deteoriate this country beyond repair.

Attitudes like yours reek with wealth envy. Somebody take away your cookie when you were a kid. Is that why you are so bitter...afraid somebody is going to take away your free taxpaid cookie again?

You probably don't work, but sit at home all day and get high. Did you quit your job to protest in the "Occutard rallies"? Can you not take your kid to school because you are stoned? I bet you are tatooed up and are under 25 years old with multiple kids.

Yes, the government owes you. Please raise my taxes to send people like you to South America permanently.

Up until this year I cant remember any problems with the bus situation.I will admit I was a bit concerned the first day when my elementary student didnt get home for an hour and a half. In the past the school has provided after school care for a fee. I believe that money goes to the school and the teachers working afterwards. This year by switching the start times, the students who can not stay by themselves (PreK-5th) will either have their parents make arrangements for before care with a neighbor, relative, or maybe adjust their work schedule. But wait! here comes BCSS to the rescue. they will now offer before and after care..For a price. just another way for the school system to get money from the public. If someone offered my kids a private school voucher or scholarship I would snatch it up in a New York minute.
To the BOE. Switch the times back to the way they were last year and extend the day as needed to meet your prescious 160 day calendar.

The issue is safety. At Appalachee there are over 250 kids driving to school each morning under 18 years of age. There are no sidewalks or crosswalks in the area. Over 70 vehicle accidents occurred last year within the PRZ according to the Barrow county sheriffs office. And according to your math, we only have 583 paying tax payers in Barrow county(350,000 divided by 600=583.333). "The 550 students who would have been affected by the system’s proposed bussing cuts are now going to cost taxpayers over $600 each this year so the parents of those kids don’t have to do it themselves." Or is that the only ones that pay taxes for the rest anyway?

I take exception to the statement "So why not charge parents who demand bussing service a fee to cover the costs? Is it really the responsibility of taxpayers to provide transportation for families who don’t want to provide their own?".

Actually, all of us already pay a fee for this service. Look at your tax bill. We pay for schools and transportation. We pay roughly the same amounts every year for these services, however, the county can vary the quality of these services at will, every year, without consulting the people footing the bill. I paid roughly the same amount of tax I paid in previous years this last time around, but, for the first time in my child's school carreer, she's not being picked up by the school bus at our front door - the same school bus that's picked her up for the last 8 years.

OK, fine. So, I get up earlier and I drive my daughter up to the top of the subdivision to wait for the bus every morning. It's a minor inconvenience. However, I did pay for the service. If I could somehow deduct the school bus transporatation portion from my taxes, I would drive her to school myself. But, if I'm going to be charged for it every year, I expect the services I've paid for to be available to me and I expect a certain level of continuity to those services every year.

Let's face it - the county did a sneaky bait-and-switch to the parents of Barrow County students this year. Most of us were unaware of the change until school open house this year. They knew there would be backlash, they just wanted that backlash to occur after the point of no return.

Two points. First, the bus changes were discussed and widely reported last spring. It wasn't last minute. Second, bus service isn't a fee, it's a tax. A lot of people pay school taxes whose children don't use the bus service or who don't have kids in school at all; why not have those who use the service pay for it? Things change. Times change. Finances change. To expect the school system to always do everything the same way year after year isn't realistic. How do you suggest the school system pay for such services in an era when there is less funding?

Mike, I would love for the parents of every school attendee to have to pay a transportation fee if they choose to send their kids to school on the county's school bus. That would be only fair. I'd even go so far as to suggest that maybe we should be paying a fee directly to the schools every year for our children's education. If your kid goes to school, pay a fee. If you don't have a kid in school, then don't pay. Call it a "usage tax".

However, we know that isn't how things are done, and they never will be done that way. We always will be forced to subsidize other people's access to programs and services in the form of income and property taxes. I pay a king's ransom every year in income and property taxes. I'm sure that I'm more than covering my portion of the diesel bill to get my kid to school and back home every day (nevermind the years that I've paid when I didn't have a kid in school).

You say that these changes were widely reported? Where? In the Barrow County Journal or the Barrow County News? Honestly, how many people in America subscribe to ANY newspaper anymore, much less a small-town local paper? The Barrow County Board of Ed. and/or the individual schools themselves could've been a little more proactive in informing the parents of the upcomming change. I don't know if you have children attending any of the locals schools, but my daughter brings home many stacks of papers from the school every day advertising some event at school or some fundraiser, etc., which I must scour every night to insure that I'm not missing anything of relevance. They could've used one of those scraps of colored paper to inform the parents of the proposed changes. This didn't happen, to my recollection. Russell Middle School emails me almost daily about my daughter's school work, upcomming events, etc., but never a mention of the changes to the school schedule or bussing.

I realize that sometimes things need to be changed in order to satisfy the requirements of a shrinking budget. However, I think that most of us would've appreciated fair advanced warning from the schools and the county before they did what they did with the busses.

If I need to make a change - fine. But, give me enough of an advanced warning so that I can make the necessary preparations. That's all.

okay, let me open a can of worms. one of the biggest expenses for any school system is having to deal with "special needs" children. so many of these kids are simply sent to school because their parents won't or can't deal with them. I have seem classes where one student has an assigned para-pro to look after them.the teacher may only have 3 or 4 students all day. the cost of dealing with one severely handicap student can easily run $40 to 50 thousand. this leaves less and less money to teach those who can be taught.

Just what I've said all along. It is NOT FOR THE CHILDREN but for the greed of those whose hunger for more power and money supercede everything else that matters. These children are NOT getting educated but-INDOCTRINATED> Parents need to see that they educate their children on what to look out for in all facets of life. Do NOT expect these teachers or other educators to feel the same way about your child as you do because they don't. They do care about children, but not the same way that you or I do about our own children. Get off your butts and take care of your own children and stop expecting tax paying folks to pay your or your child's way in life.

Parents need to attend the monthly board of Ed mtgs to see what is really going on in our children's education. Also you can request to see the curriculum standards as well. That way when you see for yourself what is or is not getting done, you'll have your answer...

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